Imran Khan’s contempt case was postponed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday after he indicated his willingness to apologize to Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.
Imran was facing contempt charges after criticizing Judge Chaudhry at a rally in Islamabad’s F-9 Park on August 20. Judge Chaudhry had ordered PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s physical remand in a sedition case.
During the prior session, the IHC had deemed the PTI chief’s updated response to the matter “unsatisfactory” and decided to prosecute him on September 22. (today).
On Thursday, the case was heard by a larger bench, which was presided over by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and included Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, and Babar Sattar.
The former prime minister testified during today’s session. He said he was prevented from testifying at the previous hearing and asked the judge for permission to record his remarks.
He informed the court, “I am prepared to apologize to the female judge.
“The court believes that I have gone too far. I didn’t mean to intimidate the female judge. I am prepared to personally go to the judge and apologize if the court orders it,” he stated.
He continued to tell the court that I won’t act similarly in the future. “I apologize if I crossed the line.”
The IHC CJ then instructed Imran to submit an affidavit and said that the PTI leader’s statement will be recorded by the court. The IHC CJ instructed, “Submit an affidavit outlining what you have said.”
The IHC bench stated that whether you choose to see the judge in person is entirely up to you. The court stated, “If you have acknowledged [your] error and are prepared to apologise for it, then that is sufficient.”
The hearing was then postponed until October 3rd.
Imran was pursued by reporters earlier as he, party leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, and Shibli Faraz, made their way to court.
As he made his way to the courtroom, the man, who was wearing a black shalwar kameez and a grey waistcoat, smiled at the reporters but avoided answering their inquiries. Television footage showed Faraz vying for position behind Imran.
